


Half Off

by aestia



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Chatting & Messaging, Developing Relationship, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Implied Sexual Content, Love at First Sight, M/M, Mild Language, Side Dojae, Side KunTen, Strangers to Lovers, side Norenmin, side johntae, side luwoo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-13
Updated: 2020-07-02
Packaged: 2021-03-04 06:27:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,538
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24669121
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aestia/pseuds/aestia
Summary: "We can say that it's half off for attractive people! Knowing this town, people would be lining up just for the chance for either Jeno or Jaemin to call them good-looking. Of course, none of them will ever meet your standards, so we won't have to worry about money loss. And if we ever have Renjun working counter, they can try to impress the 'extremely mysterious culinary student that never talks to anyone'."OrDonghyuck opens a café with his best friends and is in charge of advertising and marketing. What could go wrong with a deal like this?
Relationships: Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Mark Lee
Comments: 8
Kudos: 159





	1. open for business

Donghyuck’s best friend, Renjun, had always wanted to open a bakery of his own. And since Donghyuck loved everything that made Renjun happy, he had learned to bake alongside the elder. When Donghyuck had been able to make his first cake by himself, they had sworn to each other that they would open a bakery together. The promise changed in their first year of high school when the duo met Jeno and Jaemin. Instead of a plain bakery, they would make it a cafe to cater to Jaemin and Jeno’s taste. 

During college, Jaemin and Renjun had worked together at a hair salon, while Jeno worked at a cat cafe. Donghyuck didn’t have the time to get a job, needing to have his grades up in order to keep his full ride scholarship. Those four years were, without a doubt, the worst years of Donghyuck’s life, but having Jeno, Jaemin, and Renjun by his side helped matters plenty. 

The four were fresh out of college when the opportunity finally came up for them to do what they had promised each other. Nearby Jaemin and Jeno’s apartment, there was a small shopping district with a vacant store. They had all graduated with little to no student debt thanks to their jobs, scholarships, and Renjun’s parents who had insisted on helping out the group with tuition fees, making it decently easy to pool together enough money to buy the lot. 

They still had money left, so shortly after that, the four bought a condo together, deciding that they should at least live closer. Then came the marketing and advertising. Jaemin had graduated with a bachelor’s degree in interior design, Jeno with a business degree, and Renjun with a culinary degree. Donghyuck himself had been able to get a degree in advertising. They all had their roles for the most part, and the next few weeks had been spent mostly in the living room of the condo, planning out what they were going to do. 

Donghyuck lay awake one night, thinking about what he could do to help promote this cafe, when a thought struck him. “Yo, Renjun, you awake?”

“No,” came the reply from Renjun’s bed, above Donghyuck’s own. “Go to sleep, dumbass, before I put you out myself.”

“I wanna run an idea by you.” Donghyuck said anyways, knowing that Renjun was too tired to come down from his bed and beat the younger. 

“Do it tomorrow.” Renjun grumbled, his voice somewhat groggy. “It can wait.”

“I swear, it’s a good one.” Donghyuck stood on top of his bed, holding the railings of the top bunk to keep his balance as he stared at Renjun’s half-lidded eyes. 

“Hyuck, honest to god, if you don’t go to sleep, I will personally burn Mango in front of your eyes.” Renjun reached out and his hand slipped between the openings of the railings, going straight for Donghyuck’s neck. Instinctively backing away, Donghyuck lay back down in silent submission. A sleepy Renjun was a murderous Renjun.

Donghyuck woke up at exactly eight in the morning, thanks to his body’s natural clock that still hadn't reset after he graduated. It sucked, but at least it meant that he wouldn't sleep the day away, unlike a certain pink haired boy, who had fallen asleep sitting at the kitchen island. Donghyuck just sighed and nudged Jaemin’s shoulder to wake him up so that he could move to the couch. Donghyuck wouldn't be able to carry Jaemin there. The only one who could was Jeno, but he didn’t wake up well, and Donghyuck wasn’t in the mood to deal with that right now. 

“Jaemin, at least go to the couch. You’re going to hurt your neck.” Donghyuck told the younger, who groaned as he turned his head. Jaemin slowly dragged himself to his feet and wordlessly moved to the living room, flopping onto the couch over the back. 

Jaemin and Jeno were polar opposites in terms of how they slept and how they woke up. Jaemin was a lighter sleeper, but he was always able to fall back asleep unless it was past noon. He woke up refreshed and smiling, while Jeno slept like the dead. He was a morning-riser, but he was in the worst mood known to man for the first few hours, even with multiple cups of coffee. 

Sighing at the dynamics of the two best friends, Donghyuck turned and turned the coffee machine on. Jeno, and probably Renjun, were going to wake up any minute now, and Donghyuck wanted to at least have the coffee machine running before then. 

“So, what was the idea that you wanted to tell me so desperately last night?” It was five now, and the four boys were sitting on the floor of their living room as they brainstormed more ideas for the cafe. At Renjun’s words, Jeno and Jaemin turned their heads to face Donghyuck. 

“Right! So you guys all know how Jaemin was literally the most popular person on campus, and even now, Jeno is referred to by everyone by the ‘hot barista’?” Donghyuck could easily see the confusion in his friends’ faces as they tried to figure out where the caramel haired boy was going with his plan. 

“What about it?” Jeno asked. 

“If we tell people that you two are going to be working here, that’ll get a lot of attention as is. But what if we add something extra?”

“Spit it out, Hyuck.” Renjun said, looking down at the menu that he had been putting together with Jeno’s help while adding a few things. 

“We can say that it’s half off for attractive people! Knowing this town, people would be lining up just for the chance for either Jeno or Jaemin to call them good-looking. Of course, none of them will ever pass your standards, so we won’t have to worry about money loss. And if we ever have Renjun working counter, they can try to impress the ‘extremely mysterious culinary student that never talks to anyone’.” Donghyuck made air quotes around the last part of the sentence. 

“I mean, it sounds cool. I’d be down for it.” Jaemin shrugged. 

“Extremely mysterious culinary student? Where did you hear that?” Renjun asked in disbelief. 

“Wong Yukhei from the class above us. And literally every other person on campus. You should really make friends, Renjun.” Donghyuck teased the elder, who promptly and accurately threw his pencil at Donghyuck’s face. “What do you think though? Jeno?”

“If it’ll help bring in money, then it’s chill with me.” Jeno replied. “But are you going to be comfortable with it, Junnie?”

“Whatever. It’s not my place to question whatever methods Hyuck has decided on. After all, they usually somehow work.” Renjun let out an exaggerated sigh and fell onto Jeno’s shoulder to show him the modified menu. Jaemin also leaned over to look at the paper, and with a small ‘let me see too’, Renjun moved the paper so that it was right in front of Jeno, who was in the middle of the trio. Donghyuck let out a content huff. With the combined popularity of the three in front of him as well as their skills, Donghyuck was fairly certain that everything would go well, and he wouldn’t have to worry about the plan backfiring. The only people that Jaemin, Jeno, and Renjun found attractive were each other. 

Just like Renjun had predicted, Donghyuck’s plan had worked out. The first month of business had been so packed that Jeno had needed to hire one of his past coworkers and friends from the cat cafe, one of Jaemin’s friends, and a few of their upperclassmen that the four had stayed in touch with after graduation. Now, their staff consisted of Taeyong as their manager (in title only. No one actually treated him with much respect), Doyoung and Jungwoo helping Donghyuck and Renjun with the baking, Chenle and Jisung helping Jeno and Jaemin with the drinks, and Taeil, Jaehyun, and Johnny wherever they were needed. According to Jeno, Sicheng, an upperclassman from his business classes, had wanted to work with them, but he already had a job as a waiter at a restaurant called The Vision. But even without Sicheng, there was a decent amount of staff, enough so that Donghyuck never needed to work the counter. 

Until sometime mid-August, when Doyoung, Jaehyun, Johnny, and Taeyong were all visiting family, Taeil was sick, Chenle and Jisung were busy with school, and Jungwoo had a date with his boyfriend (His boyfriend was actually Yukhei, the boy who had told Donghyuck that Renjun had no friends during their college years). Thanks to all the absences, the only staff that day were the original four, not to mention that it was unusually busy for a Wednesday. Donghyuck didn’t even get the chance for a lunch break. 

“Hyuck, do me a huge favor?” Donghyuck turned away from the pastry case to look at Jeno, whose eyes were filled with stress. The brunet’s smile was plastered on, a result of the multiple ‘Karen’s and ‘Chad’s that he had needed to deal with at the counter. 

“What’s up?” Donghyuck asked. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Jaemin take another customer’s order as he tried his best to ignore the flirting remarks that the girl was making towards him. Maybe, in hindsight, having Jaemin and Jeno work the counter was a bad idea. 

“Take over for me. Just a little bit. I swear to God that I will never ask you to do this again. I really have to go make this stuff.” Jeno begged, glancing over at the growing line multiple times while he was speaking. 

Donghyuck looked over to Renjun, who gave the younger a look that said that he could handle it, and then he walked over to Jeno. Clapping the brunet’s back, Donghyuck pushed Jeno towards the place where he and Jaemin made the drinks. “Relax, I would’ve taken over whether you asked me or not. You two are suffering. Leave it to me.” Donghyuck’s words caused Jeno to look at him like he was an angel, and Donghyuck scoffed. 

He took his place next to Jaemin, knowing the basics of how to use the tablets. It went smoothly for the most part, especially when he realized that he could glare at any customers who were trying to make a move on his friends. _That ‘half off’ thing was good for business, but I feel bad for Jaemin and Jeno,_ Donghyuck thought after he gave a very stubborn girl the most passive-aggressive smile that he could make. 

After what seemed like an eternity, the crowd finally died down, and the four of them were able to take a break. Sliding down the counter, Jaemin was on the verge of laying down on the ground before Renjun nudged the younger’s head with his foot. 

“Yah, it’s dirty. Go to the break room if you want to lay down.” Renjun said, to which Jaemin just groaned and stood back up. He leaned half against the glass of the pastry case and half against Jeno, exhaustion visible in his glassy eyes. 

“Maybe I should take him?” Jeno suggested timidly as he looked at his best friend’s state. “He doesn’t seem to have the energy to go by himself.”

“Yeah, do that. Take a break while you’re at it. You too, Renjun. Don’t act like you’re not tired, I can see it in your hands.” Donghyuck gestured to the blond’s hands, hanging at his sides. Normally, they would be fidgeting with anything, whether it be his pockets or his apron, even his shirt. But they were so still and lifeless that Donghyuck could tell that Renjun was spent. 

“What about you?” Renjun asked, eyeing the younger. Donghyuck smiled as widely as he could to try and show that he didn’t need a break. “And you’re just going to stay out here by yourself? Is that going to be okay?”

“I’ll be fine. There’s no one coming in right now, and I know how to make drinks. You three need the break more than me.” Donghyuck replied as cheerfully as he could. And he wasn’t lying. Jaemin and Jeno had been working nonstop, and Renjun, in addition to working as much as the other two, had stayed up late last night to perfect a new cake. Donghyuck could wait a little bit. 

“You sure?” Renjun asked a final time, and Donghyuck nodded. “Fine. We’ll take fifteen. If you need help, just yell, okay? Don’t do anything that you’re not sure you can do—”

“Renjun, I know.” Donghyuck cut the blond off before he could use up any more energy telling Donghyuck things that he already knew. 

“Thanks a bunch. We’re counting on you, Hyuck.” Jeno said at the same time that Jaemin said ‘Remember the half off thing. I’m praying that you finally meet someone’. Renjun snickered at Jaemin’s statement while Donghyuck waved the trio off dismissively. In their almost two months of business, all of the staff had yet to use the discount on anyone, since all of the cashiers had boyfriends and didn’t look at anyone else in that way (with the exception of Jeno and Jaemin, but they might as well be dating each other and Renjun). 

Donghyuck rested against the back wall, pulling out his phone to pass the time. He had fifteen minutes to blow, and there weren’t any more customers coming in. He had to do something other than look at the few customers that were in the cafe. They were students, all six of them tapping away at their laptops and occasionally talking to each other about some random topic that Donghyuck didn’t care to pay attention to. 

He was just about to beat his high score in Ice Cream Jump when the bells above the door jingled, promptly ruining his concentration and his game. Although Donghyuck was rightfully annoyed, he glued a smile on his face as he shoved his phone in his pocket. 

“Hello and good afternoon! Welcome to Kitchen Beat, can I take your... order...” Donghyuck could feel his eyes widening as they soaked in the boy in front of him. Sleek black hair, slim but not lanky, maybe a centimeter taller than Donghyuck but with proportions that made him look so much taller, high cheekbones, doe eyes that were shining with a mixture of embarrassment and concern, and an awkward smile. 

“Hi… I’ve never been here before. Could you maybe give me a drink recommendation?” The boy asked, and Donghyuck’s brain decided that that was the perfect moment to stop working. 

“Huh? My— my what? Oh, my recommendation, um,” Donghyuck diverted his gaze to the menu that was taped on the counter in a panic. “Well, uh, what— what kind of drinks do you like?” 

“Anything but green tea.” The boy replied almost instantly. 

“R-Right. No green tea.” Donghyuck mumbled as he mentally yelled at himself. _What are you doing? It’s just a customer. Get over it, you know you’re stronger than this! Imagine the teasing that you’re going to get from everyone. And you’re not supposed to be a panicked gay, you big fricking loser._ Why did the voice saying that last sentence kind of sound like Jungwoo? “Do you want a caffeinated drink or just a regular juice kind of thing?”

“Juice, I guess.” The boy’s shrugging was barely visible in Donghyuck’s line of sight, thanks to how hard he was staring at the menu. “Is everything okay?” 

“Oh, yeah, sorry. Everything’s fine. How about a frozen lemonade, since it’s hot out?” Donghyuck finally managed to say, forcing himself to look back up at the customer. 

“That’s great, thanks.” The boy now smiled with most traces of awkwardness gone from his face. Donghyuck would be lying if he said that his heart didn’t skip a beat when he saw it. 

“Don’t mention it.” Donghyuck said as he put the lemonade onto the tablet, the price an ugly $3.46. Jaemin’s words rang through Donghyuck’s head, and with them came a sudden wave of confidence. “Can I get a name?”

“Mark.” The boy replied, and although Donghyuck wasn’t looking away from the tablet, he could feel Mark’s eyes on him. It wasn’t an unpleasant feeling in the least. If anything, it actually felt really good. 

“Alright.” Donghyuck punched in the discount code and then turned the tablet to Mark, who temporarily tore his eyes away from Donghyuck to use the tablet. “Could you please pick your method of payment?” 

Mark’s eyes opened just by a fraction, something that Donghyuck might’ve not picked up on if he hadn’t already ingrained every one of Mark’s features into his mind. “It’s only $1.73?” He looked up from the tablet and to Donghyuck. 

“Half off for attractive people.” Donghyuck replied with a grin. Face turning red, Mark snapped his head back down to the tablet, and Donghyuck felt a sense of accomplishment wash through him. It was revenge for making Donghyuck so flustered when Mark first came in. 

“T-Thanks.” Mark stuttered as he paid. 

In the midst of the chaos in his mind, Donghyuck didn’t notice that Renjun had come out of the break room and was grinning at the interaction in front of him. When Donghyuck turned to make Mark’s drink, he immediately grimaced at his best friend’s expression. 

“How long have you been standing there?” Donghyuck asked, slightly irritated as he got the ingredients he needed to make the lemonade. “I thought you were taking your break.”

“Long enough to see you make a fool of yourself. And I felt bad about leaving you all alone out here.” Renjun said cheekily. “You know, why don’t you talk to the customer for a little bit? Make him feel welcome while he waits? I can make the drink.” Renjun offered with an impish smile and in a loud voice, purposely getting Mark’s attention. Donghyuck had to stop himself from strangling Renjun in front of the general public. 

“I’m going to kill you when we get home.” Donghyuck hissed under his breath before looking back at Mark, who seemed to think that the coffee spill on the counter was interesting to the point that his face matched the strawberries that Jaemin hated so much. It was, for lack of better words, so fucking cute. 

Donghyuck moved a little closer to the counter, but he didn’t start any conversation. For all he knew, Mark could be an antisocial shut-in who hated any and all human interaction. Plus, the other boy looked like he was being tortured already, probably a result of Donghyuck giving him the discount. Maybe that wasn’t a good idea? Taeyong had always said that the customer’s comfort and satisfaction took priority, and if talking to Mark right now would make the other more awkward, then Donghyuck should probably keep his mouth shut. 

It felt like an eternity before Renjun was behind Donghyuck, an arm thrown across the younger’s shoulders as he slid the frozen lemonade across the counter to Mark. “Thanks for coming! We hope you come again!” Renjun said with the widest smile Donghyuck had seen from him in a while. Mark nodded, and after a nervous goodbye, left the store. 

“So…” Renjun began, but Donghyuck threw his best friend’s arm off of him and flicked the elder’s forehead. 

“Don’t start.” 

“Maybe Jaemin’s prayer didn’t go unanswered.” Renjun wiggled his eyebrows, and Donghyuck shot him a glare. Getting fucked up by romance was the last thing on Donghyuck’s to-do list, and there was no way in hell that he was going to fall for a random customer that he didn’t know anything about. 

“I’m never even going to see him again, much less talk to him. I don’t think he even knows my name.” Donghyuck gestured to the empty front of his apron. Both Taeyong and Jeno had both been against the idea of nametags, so there was no way that Mark could. 

“Oh, you don’t have to worry about that.” Renjun’s grin was filled with things that Donghyuck wasn’t sure he wanted to know, but he asked about it anyways. 

“What did you do, Renjun?” Donghyuck questioned through a sigh.

“I put your name and number on the cup so he could text you. If he doesn’t, then he probably didn’t deserve you anyway.” Before Donghyuck could say anything to scold him, Renjun clapped a hand over the younger’s mouth. “I’m your best friend and therefore have rights to meddle in your love life. You haven’t had a date since senior year of high school with that Hyunjin guy. And even then, you didn’t get flustered. This is the first time I’ve ever seen you panic in front of a guy that wasn’t a professor asking for the essay that you haven’t done yet. I’m worried about you, and hell, the guy wasn’t bad looking either. You’re going to suck it up, got it?” Renjun’s tone left no room for argument, so Donghyuck just nodded helplessly. The blond was as outspoken as a child who hadn’t learned manners yet, but he usually wasn’t this assertive. It kind of scared Donghyuck. 

“I can’t wait to tell Jeno and Jaemin about this.” Renjun snickered, and then Donghyuck hit him. He didn’t want to deal with the nonstop teasing of the duo. 

Later that night, Donghyuck was stuck at the kitchen island since Renjun had finally gotten the chance to try out his new recipe and needed a taste tester. It was apparently strawberry flavored, so Donghyuck was the guinea pig instead of Jaemin. Normally, Donghyuck would be helping Renjun out with making anything new, but at the moment, he was a little preoccupied staring at his phone, waiting for any notifications from a new contact. He wouldn’t ever admit it to Renjun, but he really did hope that Mark would text him. And that the other boy wasn’t a complete psychopath or asshole. _He probably isn’t, right? If he got flustered over getting the discount, then he must be a decent dude. Right?_

Donghyuck couldn’t get any more lost in his thoughts thanks to Renjun covering his phone screen with one hand and using the other to shove a pastry into his mouth. Chewing on the dessert, Donghyuck savored the cream on the inside that was sweet, yet had just the right amount of tanginess and flavor. The pastry was buttery and flaky in the right places, still having a perfect crunch. It tasted the exact same way that sunrise with a book and a cup of coffee felt. Just complete and pure perfection. Donghyuck looked up at the blond, who had an anxious look in his eyes as he waited for Donghyuck’s verdict. He gave his best friend a thumbs up, and Renjun grinned as he let out a sigh of relief. 

“Honestly, I didn’t think that it could get any better after that melon muffin, but you’ve proved me wrong. It’s exquisite, legendary, beautiful, amazing, tastes that have never been experienced on this earth. Best seller in minutes, mark my words. You should marry me so I can get fed this all the time. And fill my coffin with these things, I’ll even pay you. If I don’t have these in the afterlife, I might as well be in hell.” Donghyuck said after he swallowed the last of Renjun’s masterpiece. Renjun practically glowed like the moon at the compliments, something that Donghyuck loved to see. 

“Thanks.” Renjun replied, his eyes shrinking into crescents as he curled into himself in shyness. Donghyuck put down his phone, everything forgotten, as he reached across the island to pat Renjun’s head. 

“Don’t mention it. If anything, I haven’t done you justice yet. I would say more, but I don’t think that I could possibly put into words just how fucking awesome you are. You’re literally a god, Renjun. I don’t think there’s any other explanation for how flawless you are. I’m going to go shout it from the balcony that my best friend in the world is a god.” Donghyuck pushed his chair back and stood up, about to go do as he said, but Renjun grabbed his wrist before he could go very far. 

“Dude, no.” Renjun said with wide eyes and an light flush across his cheeks, to which Donghyuck replied ‘no fun’, but he sat back down anyway. Renjun shook his head, a fond smile on his face as he looked down to the counter. Donghyuck followed his friend’s gaze since he had nothing better to do, and then his phone screen lit up. Not even getting the chance to actually read the notification, Donghyuck and Renjun locked eyes for a second before Donghyuck was snatching up his phone and Renjun was swinging around to the side of the island that Donghyuck was on. 

With a slightly shaking hand, Donghyuck opened his phone and the notification. 

**Conversation with Mark Lee  
** Today, 21:26

**Mark Lee** : hey, is this Donghyuck from Kitchen Beat?


	2. waiting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just FYI, they all live in NOVA just because I can
> 
> And from here on there's going to be a lot of chatting, so please bear with that :)
> 
> Chat names  
> pac-men  
> Renjun: pinky  
> Jeno: inky  
> Donghyuck: clyde  
> Jaemin: blinky
> 
> bully taeyong enthusiasts  
> Ten: hag  
> Donghyuck: brat
> 
> gremlins featuring taeil and chenle  
> Taeil: tail  
> Taeyong: t-dragon  
> Johnny: giant  
> Doyoung: rabbit  
> Jaehyun: abs  
> Jungwoo: the valid kim  
> Renjun: wig SNATCHED  
> Jeno: puppy  
> Donghyuck: fullsun  
> Jaemin: gecko  
> Chenle: toddler (he's not active in this chapter tho)  
> Jisung: fetus

Donghyuck thought that his heart was going to leap out of his mouth. It would surprise him if he found out that his eardrums were damaged next time he went to the doctor thanks to Renjun’s shriek. The noise had effectively gained the attention of Jaemin, who poked his head out of the door to his room curiously. 

“Respond! Hurry up, you dumb fuck!” Renjun grabbed Donghyuck’s shoulders and shook the younger violently. 

“What do I even say?” Donghyuck asked without looking away from his phone, still open to Mark’s message. He had been confident for the second that he gave Mark the discount, but he had never been so flustered by a single person, especially romance wise. 

“Just say yes!” Renjun looked at Donghyuck with the most dumbfounded expression ever, shocked that Donghyuck was so clueless. And Donghyuck didn’t actually know the first thing about romantic feelings, the last time he felt them being sophomore year of high school towards a boy named Bae Jinyoung. 

The commotion brought Jaemin out of his room and to the island to investigate what had gotten Renjun so riled. He peered over Donghyuck’s shoulder and threw the caramel haired boy a confused look. Donghyuck didn’t have to answer, because Renjun was throwing his arms around the taller. “While you and Jeno were taking your break, I gave this really cute customer Hyuck’s number and he just texted.” Jaemin understood the situation immediately, his eyes lighting up with pure joy. 

“Oh my god, Donghyuck, you have to text him now! Stop stalling!” Jaemin stared at the phone as if he was trying to type with just sheer will alone. 

“Okay, okay, relax! I will!” Donghyuck shook Jaemin off of his shoulder and moved his fingers on the screen. 

**Conversation with Mark Lee**  
Today, 21:56  


**Mark Lee** : hey, is this Donghyuck from Kitchen Beat?

**[Lee Donghyuck is online]**

**Lee Donghyuck** : Yeah!  
**Lee Donghyuck** : How was the drink?

 **Mark Lee** : it was really good, you did a good job 

**Lee Donghyuck** : Thanks, I’m glad you liked it. 

Renjun then snatched the phone away from Donghyuck’s hands. “What are you doing, Hyuck?” He cried. “Why are you typing so formally? It feels like you’re emailing a professor!” 

“How else am I supposed to talk to him?” Donghyuck retorted. Renjun just sighed and passed the phone to Jaemin, who accepted it with a smile that was pure evil. “Wait, what are you going to do?” 

“Leave it to me.” Jaemin cackled. As much as Donghyuck wanted to get his phone back, he knew that Jaemin had infinitely more experience with talking to other people, so he just sat back in his chair and watched what Jaemin was doing. 

**Lee Donghyuck** : ill recommend you new stuff every time you come (≧∇≦)/

 **Mark Lee** : who’s this

Renjun burst out laughing at Jaemin’s failed attempt to step in for Donghyuck, Donghyuck following a second later while Jaemin just stared at Mark’s text in disbelief. Then the pink haired boy was setting the phone on the counter and pulling out a seat. As soon as he was sitting down, Jaemin covered his face with his hands and let out a loud sigh. 

“I would like to say I approve, but I’m gonna be salty every time I see this guy.” Jaemin jabbed Donghyuck’s arm as the elder picked his phone back up. “At the very least, don’t use any end punctuation. You’re texting a cute guy, not writing your fucking thesis.” Donghyuck nodded in acknowledgement of the advice and then started typing. 

**Lee Donghyuck** : Sorry, a friend took my phone

 **Mark Lee** : no worries

 **Lee Donghyuck** : But I’ll still recommend you drinks when you come

 **Mark Lee** : well, i might have to take you up on that :)

 **Lee Donghyuck** : Really?

 **Mark Lee** : yeah, for sure, i’ll swing by the next time i can

 **Lee Donghyuck** : Great! I guess I’ll see you then?

 **Mark Lee** : yep, i’ll tell you when i can come  
**Mark Lee** : i have to go grab my roommate, so i’ll talk to you later  
**Mark Lee** : good night ^^

**[Mark Lee is offline]**

Donghyuck didn’t move for another few seconds until he heard the door to the bathroom open, and Jeno walked out, a small towel resting on top of his wet hazel hair. “What’s up? I heard screaming. You guys have to remember to keep the noise down.” 

“Donghyuck! Finally has! A date!” Jaemin exclaimed, running over to his best friend and enveloping the elder in a tight hug. Jeno grunted as his chest was hit with Jaemin’s force but tried his best to return the embrace. 

“It’s not a date. I’m literally just recommending him new drinks since he hasn’t come before.” Donghyuck corrected the pink haired boy before Jeno could get the wrong idea. His heart was beating at a million miles per hour as he tried to figure out whether to be happy or concerned that he and Mark had worked something out so quickly. 

“But he was able to find out the difference between you and Jaemin instantly even though you had only sent like, two messages before Jaemin took over.” Renjun said, and Donghyuck scoffed lightheartedly. 

“Cause Jaemin didn’t capitalize the first letter, didn’t use the apostrophe, and used a fucking kaomoji. I think anyone would be able to tell the difference.” Donghyuck replied. He didn’t want to get his hopes up, thinking that Mark would actually be able to figure it out without any other clues. God, what was he even doing? Yeah, Mark was cute as hell, but they had literally only met once and they hadn’t even had a proper conversation yet. It wasn’t like Donghyuck to get excited this easily. What was going on?

“Regardless of whether it’s a date or not, I’m happy for you, Hyuckie. You deserve to have someone.” Jeno had managed to wrench himself free of Jaemin’s vice grip and was now smiling happily at Donghyuck, which the younger returned without a second thought. “Also, it smells really good in here. Junnie, was that you?” Renjun nodded proudly and pointed to the tray of strawberry pastries that was resting on top of the stove. Jeno practically floated over to the desserts and didn’t hesitate in scarfing down two at once. Through a full mouth, Jeno mumbled something and did a chef’s kiss gesture towards Renjun, causing the blond to grin. 

“Thanks.” Renjun said as he puffed his chest out. “Oh, but, Hyuck, you don’t even know when he’ll be coming? What if he comes when you’re not working?” 

“He’ll probably tell me when he can make it.” Donghyuck shrugged. They hadn’t actually figured anything out. The conversation had been so short and so uninformative that Donghyuck was actually wondering if he had hallucinated the whole thing. The only things that he knew about Mark was that his last name was Lee and he didn’t like green tea. Other than that, the other boy was a complete mystery. 

“Wait! If he comes, will he get the discount? If he comes too much, it could be a loss for our money.” Jaemin pointed out, and Donghyuck could see the ecstatic look from Jeno’s face vanish and turn into something more contemplative, as if he was trying to figure out the best thing to do for Donghyuck and the cafe. It was one of the things that Donghyuck loved about the other. Jeno was smart and hated to compromise (unless it was Jaemin or Renjun, but Donghyuck wasn’t about to call him out on it), and that stubborn nature of his had resulted in many good things in the eight years that they had known each other. 

“Next time you talk to him, ask if he needs a job. If he works here, then we won’t have to worry.” Jeno suggested after a second, and Donghyuck held up an okay hand. “What’s his name though?” 

“Mark Lee.” Donghyuck replied. Jeno’s eyes widened and he pursed his lips. 

“Damn, he’s back in Virginia? Thought he’d move to Canada permanently.” Jeno mumbled, and both Renjun and Jaemin were latching onto the hazel haired boy. 

“You know him?” Jaemin asked, with a hint of bitterness in his voice that was almost completely masked by a front of curiosity. Donghyuck wanted to laugh at how the two reacted just to the fact that Jeno knew the black haired boy. Jaemin didn’t even know what Mark looked like. 

“Met him back in like, sixth grade. He helped me overcome my fear of dogs.” Jeno shrugged as if it was no big deal, but he didn’t realize the effect that his words had on the pair clinging onto him. Renjun’s eyes narrowed as he glared at Jeno’s chest and then Donghyuck’s phone while Jaemin’s entire face darkened, and Donghyuck could tell that his grip on Jeno’s body had tightened. 

“It’s okay, I haven’t talked to him since seventh grade.” Jeno said with a fond smile as he pulled both of his arms free of Renjun and Jaemin to pat the duo’s heads. Donghyuck was so fucking tempted to hit all three of them and tell them to get their shit together and ask each other out, but he bit his lip instead. 

“But Mark is a good guy. You’d probably get along with him really well.” Jeno said to Donghyuck, who didn’t doubt the first part. But he really had no clue if he and Mark would mesh together like he was hoping. “Also, we’re getting tomorrow off, since everyone is coming back and Taeil is better now.” Everyone except Jeno sighed in relief, but they all knew that even if they had the day off, they would go to the cafe anyway. 

“Hey, kiddos, sorry for leaving you guys yesterday. I heard from a friend that it was really busy?” Donghyuck felt the hand ruffling his hair before he could see who was attacking him when it wasn’t even eight in the morning. He swatted at his assailant and pulled back to see Johnny’s smiling face. Donghyuck and surprisingly enough, Jaemin, had woken up early to go visit the cafe while Renjun and Jeno stayed at home to do something that they refused to reveal. 

“It’s fine! Because if Donghyuck hadn’t been forced to work counter, then he wouldn’t have met Mark!” Jaemin said cheekily as he slipped between Donghyuck and the door to attack Doyoung’s unsuspecting back with a running hug. Donghyuck hissed a ‘shut up’ at Jaemin, who ignored it in favor of hitting Doyoung. The elder took a step forward from the force of the pink haired boy, and as soon as he regained his balance, Doyoung was tapping Jaemin’s hands to try to get the younger to let go. Reluctantly, Jaemin complied. 

“Mark?” Johnny raised an eyebrow at Donghyuck, who averted his gaze, looking at a random spot outside the clear glass door. 

“Wait a second, Donghyuck finally met someone and you guys didn’t tell us?” Jaehyun asked incredulously, having overheard the conversation from his position unflipped the chairs. Because he didn’t bother to lower his voice, Doyoung and Taeyong, who had been in the kitchen, focused their stares on Donghyuck. 

“I haven’t even had a proper conversation with him yet.” Donghyuck rolled his eyes and finally walked further into the store. He was hoping that he would be able to, but Mark hadn’t texted him since last night, and according to Jaemin, Donghyuck should wait for Mark to text first (he wasn’t sure if he should be taking Jaemin’s advice, honestly, considering the utter failure from the night before).

“Yeah, but that can be fixed. Is he cute?” Doyoung had gone behind the counter and was setting up the pastry case as he talked. 

“According to Renjun, he not only got the attractive discount from Hyuck, but he made _the_ Lee Donghyuck gay panic. Jungwoo would be ashamed.” Donghyuck flipped Jaemin off, and the younger boy just stuck his tongue out in retaliation. 

“Why would I have to be ashamed? Did you guys fuck up something yesterday?” Donghyuck turned around to see Jungwoo coming through the door, his hair now orange compared to his gray hair from a few days before. 

“ _No_. Nice hair, by the way.” Donghyuck replied to the elder. Jungwoo couldn’t even finish saying ‘thanks’ before Jaemin was talking again. 

“Donghyuck gay panicked in front of a customer!” Turning around to Jaemin, Donghyuck dragged his thumb against his throat and mouthed ‘I’m going to end you’, causing the younger to hop over the counter and run away to the break room. 

Jungwoo’s face was covered in pure shock as he gawked at Donghyuck, and Donghyuck could already feel the disappointment. “He better be real fucking cute, Hyuck, I won’t let you live this down if he’s not.” 

“He is, I swear!” Donghyuck defended himself. Ever since he met Jungwoo in his first year of college, the elder had constantly been helping Donghyuck build up his confidence and teaching him how to keep his cool in front of other people (the only people that Donghyuck couldn’t deal with were his professors, but they didn’t count cause it wasn’t gay panic).

“Well then, introduce me next time. I have to make sure that he’s suitable for you.” Jungwoo winked before going to help Doyoung. 

  
  


**pac-men** **  
** Today, 12:46

 **pinky** : yo jen and i are coming in like ten minutes who’s working rn

 **clyde** : guess

 **blinky** : taeyong taeil jungwoo doyoung johnny jaehyun

 **pinky** : i knew that jaemin is the only one i can trust

 **clyde** : choke

 **pinky** : only if it’s your hand doing it

 **inky** : nasty

 **blinky** : ^^

 **clyde** : ^^^

 **pinky** : wow really feeling the love here

 **clyde** : yall hear summ? 

**inky** : nah I think you’re hallucinating

 **pinky** : fuck you guys i’m staying at home

 **blinky** : theyre just kidding junnie o(；△；)o come hang out

 **pinky** : ...okay

 **blinky** : (＾▽＾) yayy

 **clyde** : whipped

 **inky** : whipped  
**inky** : ayee

 **clyde** : gang gang

 **pinky** : this is some fucking slander

Donghyuck didn’t reply to Renjun, instead setting down his phone to stare at the ceiling. He wanted to space out until Jeno and Renjun got to the cafe, but he only got to do that for a few minutes before the incessant vibrating of his phone annoyed him too much to leave alone. He opened the chat back up to read what the trio was talking about only to find out that none of the messages were from the pac-men group chat and from another friend of his, Ten. 

**bully taeyong enthusiasts** **  
** Today, 12:53

 **hag** : yo hyuck  
**hag** : hyuck  
**hag** : hyuck  
**hag** : hyuck  
**hag** : hyuck  
**hag** : hyuck  
**hag** : hyuck  
**hag** : hyuck  
**hag** : hyuck  
**hag** : hyuck  
**hag** : hyuck  
**hag** : hyuck  
**hag** : hyuck  
**hag** : hyuck  
**hag** : reply you hoe

 **brat** : damn what you want old man

 **hag** : lemme rant to you

 **brat** : no

**hag** : i literally fucing hate you   
**hag** : anyways i got a new kid roommate a few weeks ago who needed like a cheap place to stay and me and kun were like aite bet we get a child   
**hag** : so i got wasted last night and he had to come pick me up since kun was busy working like the beautiful and sexy ass man he is

**brat** : is there a point to this

 **hag** : for ONCE in your life please shut up  
**hag** : he usually takes care of me but last night he was just staring at his phone and i’ve never felt so neglected in my life

 **brat** : good for you are you done

 **hag** : bitch care a little bit

 **brat** : he’s probably sick of taking care of you  
**brat** : i would be too  
**brat** : fucking alcoholic

 **hag** : i’m blocking you

 **brat** : bye bitch 😌💅  
**brat** : go complain to kun if you’re so sad

 **hag** : what did i do to deserve this  
**hag** : i’ll go bother him then

 **brat** : ly  
**brat** : remember to stay hydrated

 **hag** : thanks love you too bub

**[hag is offline]**

By the time that Donghyuck finished his conversation with Ten, Jaemin had left the break room to go greet Renjun and Jeno. Putting his phone in his back pocket, Donghyuck pulled himself out of his chair and went to the front to mess around with everyone. He wouldn’t get anything done scrolling through Instagram and waiting for Mark to text him. 

The cafe was decently crowded— a few teens probably skipping school, a few office workers on their lunch break, a few parents with their children, like two elderly people— and there was a low hum of chatter. Donghyuck only needed to look around for a second before he found Jaemin’s bright pink head at a booth with Renjun and Jeno. The three were huddled together, giggling like school girls at something on Jaemin’s phone. Donghyuck slid into the empty seat next to Jeno, who spared him a small glance and then whispered something to Jaemin. 

“What’s going on with you guys?” Donghyuck asked suspiciously. It never ended well when those three were laughing like this. 

“Look!” Jaemin flipped his phone around to show Donghyuck what was on it. 

It was an Instagram profile, the name reading ‘Mark Lee’ and the two posts on it matching Mark perfectly. Donghyuck looked away from the screen to Jaemin, confusion coating his features. “How did you even find him?”

“Searched his name and this was the first one that showed. Turns out that Ten is following him too. But he _is_ cute, I might’ve panicked if he came in too. Still don’t forgive him for last night, but whatever.” Jaemin shrugged, pleased lips parted to show his teeth, and then he was pulling his phone back. . 

“Imagine if he worked here, the _business_ we could get. You have to snag him before anyone else can, Hyuck. I’m serious.” Jeno looked at Mark’s profile again and then to Donghyuck with a grim face. 

“I should text him then?” Donghyuck got out his own phone, but Jaemin quickly took it away. 

“No! You can’t text first! You have to wait for him to tell you when he’s free!” Jaemin screeched, gaining the entire cafe’s attention. Jungwoo shot the four a suspicious look, and Donghyuck remembered that he had promised to show the elder what Mark looked like. So he searched up Mark’s profile, took a screenshot of his most recent post, and sent it to the big group chat. 

**gremlins featuring taeil and chenle**  
Today, 12:55

**[fullsun is online]**

**fullsun** : _sent an image  
  
_

**[tail, t-dragon, giant, and three others are online]**

**the valid kim** : DAMN THAT BITCH A MODEL  
**the valid kim** : forget you hyuck i’m taking this dude for myself

 **t-dragon** : you have a boyfriend tho???

 **the valid kim** : what about it

 **t-dragon** : damn 

**rabbit** : Should I report this to Yukhei

 **the valid kim** : do it coward he won’t care

 **abs** : yukhei is a saint how does he deal with you

 **the valid kim** : because he loves me  
**the valid kim** : you wish you could say the same about doyoung

 **tail** : oop-

 **abs** :

 **rabbit** : Don’t listen to him babe ily

 **abs** : aw me too

 **giant** : are we just going to ignore the fact that hyuck got a man without telling anyone

 **fullsun** : i didn’t get a man!  
**fullsun** : we barely even know each other!

 **tail** : not for long

 **the valid kim** : taeil’s right! you have me on your side now!

**[fetus is online]**

**fullsun** : doesn’t make me feel much better but thanks it’s the thought that counts

 **fetus** : you guys were texting in the middle of a test let me l i v e

 **tail** : your fault for taking the summer sessions

 **fetus** : sorry i’m kinda uhhhh dumb  
**fetus** : i gotta blast chenle just got out of his class

**[fetus is offline]**

**the valid kim** : but on the real this dude is actually so good-looking like yes hyuck go get your mans

 **fullsun** : :’) i have the support of a master

 **t-dragon** : and the rest of us o-o

 **fullsun** : no offense but i trust jungwoo the most on this kind of stuff  
**fullsun** : we all know that the only reason that you and johnny got together was because of ten

 **rabbit** : don’t remind me of that mess ffs  
**rabbit** : easily the worst month of my life

 **abs** : ^^

 **t-dragon** : sigh  
**t-dragon** : when will the suffering end

 **fullsun** : you shouldn’t have chosen to work here then 

**t-dragon** : i work here because i love you guys but i don’t think any of you love me back

 **giant** : l i e s

 **fullsun** : **@gecko @puppy @wig SNATCHED** show him how much you love him

**[wig SNATCHED, puppy, and gecko are online]**

**gecko** : no yong we love you so much! 

**puppy** : we wouldn’t be able to do anything without you keeping us in check

 **wig SNATCHED** : there’s a reason that you’re the manager when jeno legally owns everything

 **giant** : i was actually the president of the Lee Taeyong fanclub back in college

 **abs** : what the fuck

 **tail** : what the fuck

 **rabbit** : What the fuck

 **wig SNATCHED** : what the fuck

 **t-dragon** :

 **the valid kim** : i’m going to pretend i didn’t read that johnny you fucking weirdo

 **giant** : it wsa a joke!

 **fullsun** : thank god

 **t-dragon** : you concern me babe

 **giant** : sorry :(

 **t-dragon** : no it’s okay! i love you anyways

 **fullsun** : ew

 **giant** : I Love You Too

 **fullsun** : that’s my cue to leave nasty ass hoes

 **t-dragon** : i will not stand for this Slander any longer

 **puppy** : you’re just jealous that you don’t have a boyfriend to be disgusting with

 **fullsun** : jen shut the fuck up neither do you

 **puppy** :

 **gecko** :

 **wig SNATCHED** :

 **the valid kim** : DON’T TELL ME Y'ALL-

 **gecko** : jungwoo shut upppp

 **rabbit** : That’s so ominous did something happen

 **puppy** : skrrt skrrt

**[puppy is offline]**

**abs** : what the fuck

 **fullsun** : you can run but you can’t hide lee jeno  
**fullsun** : **@gecko @wig SNATCHED** what the fuck is this about don’t tell me that yall finally got your shit together

 **gecko** :

 **wig SNATCHED** :

**[wig SNATCHED and gecko are offline]**

**fullsun** : whores you’re right in front of me i’ll throttle you

Donghyuck turned off his phone to glare at the trio around him, each of them looking extremely suspicious. Norenmin getting over themselves and finally dating? Donghyuck didn’t know that that was possible in this timeline. 

“So? What’s up with you guys?” Donghyuck put his phone on silent, wanting to be able to interrogate his best friends without any interruptions. 

“Nothing.” Renjun replied while Jaemin and Jeno locked eyes, an entire day’s worth of conversation going on between the two in just seconds. While usually, Donghyuck would admire the understanding that the pair had, right now, he just wanted to know whether they were all dating or not. Then the teasing could finally begin. 

“We’ll tell you tonight, Hyuck.” Jeno promised, making Donghyuck sigh and accept it. Jeno kept his promises, although the few clues that he had gotten all pointed to the three having gotten together. If it was true, then Donghyuck could now officially call himself the fourth wheel. It also meant that Donghyuck might finally get the room to himself, but only if Renjun moved to Jaemin and Jeno’s room. _Thank god, I thought I was going to have to help them do it._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A quick update??? Unheard of.  
> I think that this fic is going to be like half chatting and half actual content? I'm not too sure, I'm started this on a whim and shouldn't even be working on it until I finish my other work smh. But thanks for all the support! I appreciate it!


	3. the text's arrival

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is mostly texting (aka a filler even tho it's only the 3rd chapter), the regular content will start again next chapter!
> 
> chat names  
> gremlins featuring taeil and chenle  
> Taeil: tail  
> Johnny: giant  
> Taeyong: t-dragon  
> Doyoung: rabbit (not active in this chat)  
> Jaehyun: abs (not active in this chat)  
> Jungwoo: the valid kim, pathetic, fuck pineapple lives  
> Renjun: wig SNATCHED, rat  
> Jeno: puppy  
> Donghyuck: fullsun  
> Jaemin: gecko  
> Chenle: toddler, child  
> Jisung: fetus
> 
> jungwoo's children  
> Jungwoo: master  
> Ten: traitor  
> Donghyuck: disciple #1  
> Jaemin: disciple #2 (not active in this chat)  
> Chenle: disowned (not active in this chat)

“How long have you guys been dating?” was Donghyuck’s first question when the four sat down to eat dinner. Jeno and Renjun froze but Jaemin just smiled. 

“A week.” 

“When were you going to tell me?” Donghyuck wasn’t really mad or hurt— it had only been a week— but he had to wonder if they were ever going to go public if he and Jungwoo hadn’t figured it out in the group chat. 

“We were going to wait till Saturday, when we had that group outing, but it’s not like it matters too much.” Jaemin said as he took a bite of his pizza. “Let’s just tell the group chat?” He looked to Jeno and Renjun for approval, the former nodding while Renjun looked a little skeptical. Only for a second though, because Jaemin used his puppy eyes and Renjun’s resistance crumbled instantly. 

**gremlins featuring taeil and chenle**  
Today, 19:13

**[wig SNATCHED, puppy, fullsun, and one other are online]**

**gecko** : jen jun and i are dating (*^▽^*)

**[t-dragon, the valid kim, and toddler are online]**

**t-dragon** : omg congrats!

 **the valid kim** : i knew it

 **toddler** : congratulations!!!  
**toddler** : now if only nova accepted poly relationships you guys would be all set

 **wig SNATCHED** : nova is so homophobic i hate it here

 **puppy** : it really depends where you go tho  
**puppy** : like tysons and mosaic? disgusting  
**puppy** : but the block is okay

 **fullsun** : fr  
**fullsun** : the stores in tysons are top tier but the staff suck a s s

 **toddler** : if you go past angelika those shops are okay  
**toddler** : i have a friend whose mom owns one of the nail salons there she’s pretty chill

 **t-dragon** : since the group outing isn’t really planned yet, how about we go to 520 to celebrate?

 **the valid kim** : 5̴̡̯̜̲̖̄̔ 2̵̛̘̖̗̰͔̟̳̗͎͔̠͖̟͕̮̿̈ 0̸̬̣̹͖̦̲̙̽̆̆͑̇̓̎͊̈́̆̏̀̾̈̕͜ ̴̪̟̺͓̺̝̲̦̻̑͜ y̸̢̨͕̹̠̯͈͔̖̿͐̎̓̆ ë̸̡̢̬̪̥̝͈̙̝̰͝ ş̴̗͓͍͖̗̖͓̈́̌͆͐̈́̑̊͐́͂̒͂̚͝ ̸̙̟̖̱͆̓́̋̈́̕ į̴̬̦͖͚͙͉̲̭̜̬͕̅̄̌͗̽̌̔̕͜͝ ̸̢͍̠̹̺̯̝͇̞̺̻̳̋̈͂̏̑̋͛͐̔̍̐̕͝ l̸̨̺̺̆͊͐̂̑̃͌͜ ơ̶͖͉̲̹̮̠̺͇͇̫͊̓͐̄̂̎̐̕̚͜ͅ v̷̢̼̘͙̝̯͕͔͔̩̂͆̇͌̒̋̃́͝ e̵̡͇͇̟̩̭̎̊͛̓̚ ̸̢̙͖̯͔͙̯͊̽̂̋ t̸̠̘̬̮͔̱͇͖̜̀̐̾̈̆͌̃̈͑̒ h̴̨̺͓̠͙̫͕̯̑̈́̑͗̓͝ á̴̙̳̔̃̈́͛̀̌̎̕͘ t̸̞̳̯͙̭̠̱̍̑͜ͅ ̶̨͕̮͉̖̱͓̐̔̆̆̍̀̅͋̇̚͠͝p̸̟̔̔̿̃̊̓̉̀̋̅͘̚͘͠ l̴̠̮̒̈́͐̇̔̑̇̾̊̈ ă̷̧̤̘̖̫͖̯̻̗̮͙͖͂̔͗̊͋͐͊̓̂̀̎́ͅ c̶͕̄̂̆̈̿͒̒́͠͝ ė̶̛̻̀̏͒͗̔̌̅͋͆̚

 **t-dragon** : jungwoo what the fuck

 **wig SNATCHED** : idk i agree with jungwoo

 **t-dragon** : so 520 it is  
**t-dragon** : any objections?

 **fullsun** : nope

 **gecko** : no from me jen and jun

 **toddler** : yay! 520!

Donghyuck smiled at Chenle’s enthusiasm before looking up at his best friends. They were bickering over whether pineapple deserved to be on pizza, and Donghyuck was fairly sure that they would take it to the group chat in a few seconds. He just took another slice of plain cheese and watched the chaos unfold in front of him. This same argument happened every time that they ordered pizza. Donghyuck would be lying if he said that he wasn’t used to it by now, having dealt with it for eight years. 

**gecko** : let’s settle this once and for all: pineapples on pizza

 **the valid kim** : absolutely not

 **toddler** : i don’t like it but i’ll eat if i have to 

**fullsun** : no

 **t-dragon** : yes

 **wig SNATCHED** : taeyong is literally the only valid person in this chat

**[wig SNATCHED has changed the valid kim’s name to pathetic]**

**pathetic** : renjun you caNNOT call me pathetic when you like pineapple on pizza you disgusting rat

 **puppy** : don’t call my baby a rat

 **pathetic** : shut up jeno you’re also a rat if you like pineapple on pizza

**[pathetic has changed pathetic’s name to fuck pineapple lives]**

**[pathetic has changed wig SNATCHED’s name to rat]**

**rat** : this is bullying taeyong help

 **t-dragon** : children don’t be mean to each other 

**toddler** : i don’t understand why people are willing to fight over this  
**toddler** : like omg it’s just food just eat it  
**toddler** : it’ll end up in your stomach either way

 **rat** : okay chenle is: also valid

**[rat has changed toddler’s name to child]**

**rat** : consider this a promotion

 **child** : thank you

 **fullsun** : also i love how renjun hasn’t changed his name

 **rat** : i’m leaving it as an animal so i match with jaem and jen

 **gecko** : babe （；へ：）  
**gecko** : i take back everything mean i said about your taste

 **puppy** : god i love my boyfriends so much

 **rat** : disgusting

 **fullsun** : disgusting

 **child** : disgusting

 **fuck pineapple lives** : nasty

 **fullsun** : jungwoo you fuckin ruined it

 **fuck pineapple lives** : shut up hoe

 **t-dragon** : children don’t bully each other or i will summon your father

 **rat** : i’m a bad bitch you can’t kill me

 **fuck pineapple lives** : kevin watch the light

 **t-dragon** : **@giant**

 **rat** : fUCK i’m sorry

**[fuck pineapple lives is offline]**

**rat** : coward

**[giant is online]**

**giant** : what’s up baby

 **t-dragon** : scroll up love

 **fullsun** : i want to throw up now thanks

 **puppy** : see if you just texted mark first then you could also have a boyfriend  
**puppy** : jaem you’re tripping

 **gecko** : whaat (๑◕︵◕๑) i’m trying my best

 **rat** : jen if you make my boyfriend cry i will literally beat your ass

 **puppy** : i am??? also??? your boyfriend??? i’ll cry???

 **rat** : well i’ll beat up the person who made you cry

 **puppy** : jun,,,

 **fullsun** : yall make me SICK

 **child** : ^^

 **giant** : guys…

 **rat** : i’M SORRY I DIDN’T MEAN IT PLEASE I’M TOO GOOD LOOKING TO DIE

 **child** : debatable

 **rat** : 我会吃掉你的膝盖

 **child** : i’m being attacked??????????

 **fullsun** : what did he say

 **child** : he said he’s going to eat my knees ://

 **giant** : 

**[rat is offline]**

**fullsun** : lmao he ran johnny your power

 **giant** : thank you i try my best

By now, the pac-men had finished eating, and since Jaemin was doing the dishes and Renjun cleaning up the table, Donghyuck was free to go back to his room. He decided to shower after Renjun and then plopped down onto his bed. He was going to say something else along the lines of how lucky Taeyong was to have such a powerful boyfriend, but he got a notification from another conversation. 

**giant** : but if i’m being honest i have to agree with jungwoo on the pineapple thing

 **t-dragon** : i’m going to file for a divorce

 **giant** : we got married??? this is news to me

 **fullsun** : YALL

 **child** : ???

 **fullsun** : MARK TEXTED ME

 **giant** : well then reply?????

 **fullsun** : i don’t know what to reply with he just said ‘hi’!!

 **t-dragon** : oh uh

 **puppy** : say hi back ffs are we going to have to do this every time he texts you

 **fullsun** : perhaps

 **giant** : well go talk to him and tell us how it works out!

 **child** : good luck!!!

**Conversation with Mark Lee**  
Today, 19:21

 **Mark Lee** : hi again :)

 **Lee Donghyuck** : Hi! How was your day?

 **Mark Lee** : it was pretty good  
**Mark Lee** : i got a lot done around the apartment  
**Mark Lee** : hbu?

 **Lee Donghyuck** : Really good :D  
**Lee Donghyuck** : I found out that my best friends are dating

 **Mark Lee** : tell them i said congrats!

 **Lee Donghyuck** : Will do!

 **Mark Lee** : anyways, when are you working next? i don’t want to come by only for you not to be there

 **Lee Donghyuck** : I’m scheduled for Saturday all day

 **Mark Lee** : great! i’ll drop by probably around noon, is that okay?

 **Lee Donghyuck** : That’s perfect

 **Mark Lee** : okay then :) i’ll see you then

 **Lee Donghyuck** : Yep!

**gremlins featuring taeil and chenle** **  
** Today, 19:28

 **tail** : you guys are just haters

 **giant** : whatever you say grandpa

 **tail** : john jun suh stfu i am literally the same age as you

 **t-dragon** : johnny i summoned you so that you could stop the fighting and here you are  
**t-dragon:** sigh

 **giant** : sorry baby i have to put these pineapple lovers in their place

 **puppy** : taeyong is also a pineapple person???

 **child** : i just pictured a pineapple with taeyongs face on it

 **puppy** : 

**t-dragon** :

 **giant** : yongie doesn’t count because he’s perfect 

**fullsun** : uh huh

 **t-dragon** : welcome back hyuckie how was your conversation 

**fullsun** : he’s coming on saturday at noon again so istg yall better not fuckin embarrass me

 **t-dragon** : it’s okay that day is the least embarrassing people

 **fullsun** : you guys are all nightmares that’s not very helpful

 **child** : me too?? 

**fullsun** : ofc not lele

 **child** : ヽ(；▽；)ノ

 **t-dragon** : me, taeil, doyoung, chenle, jisung, and you

 **fullsun** : bet  
**fullsun** : **@fuck pineapple lives @gecko @rat @puppy @giant @abs** if any of you ruin this i will end you in the most painful way possible

 **giant** : damn am i on the nightmare side of the spectrum

 **fullsun** : yes

 **puppy** : yes

 **tail** : yes

 **child** : yes

 **t-dragon** : yes

 **giant** : even my own boyfriend and lele are attacking me 

**child** : sorry (T⌓T)

 **giant** : it’s okay lele i know you don’t mean it

 **child** : you are on the nightmare side tho

 **giant** :

 **tail** : and i oop

 **fullsun** : johnny: chenle is an angel!  
**fullsun** : chenle: sike bitch

 **giant** : i can’t even be mad because it’s chenle

 **child** : o(^▽^)o  
**child** : my mom always told me she made me look this cute so I could use my powers for evil!

 **t-dragon** : i’d like to have a long talk with your mom

 **tail** : that explains  
**tail** : SO MUCH

 **fullsun** : maybe chenle is also on the nightmare side

**[fetus is online]**

**t-dragon** : oh hi jisungie

 **fetus** : don’t call chenle a nightmare ever again or i’ll grind up your elbows and scatter the powder throughout marshall’s football field

**[fetus is offline]**

**fullsun** : what the fUCK

 **child** : jisung ((´д｀)) my knight in shining armor

 **fullsun** : i’m actually so fucking scared oml

 **giant** : nice to know that chenle has his own bodyguard

 **puppy** : not that i was ever going to but at least now i know to never talk shit about chenle  
**puppy** : jisung may be a stick but he’s scary

 **fullsun** : agreed i actually value my elbows

 **tail** : donghyuck you just fucking summoned him that’s so terrifying 

**t-dragon** : why marshall tho,,, they haven’t done anything wrong  
**t-dragon** : if anything he should bully lee

 **giant** : oml don’t even say that name 

**puppy** : I went to lee once for a basketball game in high school and there was a fucking cockroach in the locker room it was the most disgusting thing i’ve ever seen  
**puppy** : they also cheated and probably paid the refs to win so i spilled water near their bench at the end of the game  
**puppy** : watching them slip was so worth it

 **tail** : confirmed: jeno is also part of the nightmare side

 **puppy** : i accept it  
**puppy** : but they deserved it and i have no regrets other than that i didn’t beat their faces in

 **t-dragon** : i shouldn’t be condoning violence but honestly  
**t-dragon** : i would’ve paid good money to see that damn school get what they deserve

 **giant** : same

 **fullsun** : same

 **child** : same

 **tail** : same

**[fuck pineapple lives is online]**

**t-dragon** : welcome back jungwoo

 **fuck pineapple lives** : i got a vibe that we were bullying lee

 **puppy** : what in the actual fuck is this group  
**puppy** : jisung is summoned by us saying anything negative about chenle and jungwoo is summoned by us bullying lee

 **giant** : don’t question it jeno

 **fuck pineapple lives** : before i go into the many bad experiences i have with lee and its students  
**fuck pineapple lives** : **@fullsun** i will embarrass you as much as i want 

**fullsun** : that’s rough buddy

 **fuck pineapple lives** : besides that  
**fuck pineapple lives** : in my freshman year i was dating this hongjoong guy  
**fuck pineapple lives** : very good looking and sweet, might date again but he’s taken and i wouldn’t trade xuxi for the w o r l d  
**fuck pineapple lives** : but during a football game against lee i catch him behind the bleachers getting fucking felt up by one of lee’s jv players who didn’t know what the word ‘no’ meant

 **giant** : oh yeah i remember that  
**giant** : the poor boy i felt so bad for him

 **t-dragon** : my friend sent the lee kid to the hospital remember him woo

 **fuck pineapple lives** : oh yeah that yuta guy  
**fuck pineapple lives** : what even happened to him after you graduated

 **t-dragon:** he went to china for an exchange student program  
**t-dragon** : he’s back in the area now tho i should introduce you guys sometime

 **fuck pineapple lives** : bet

 **child** : i always knew that lee could never be trusted

 **fullsun** : ratchet ass school should change their fucking name already

 **puppy** : their gym is so trashy too like why are the lights green??? your school color isn’t even green 

**fuck pineapple lives** : how did we even get on this topic

 **giant** : scroll up b

 **fullsun** : oh god it’s 9 already i have to go take a shower 

**child** : ack i have to get in a game too so i will also go

 **puppy** : random question what on earth happened to jaehyun and doyoung they’re usually online at this time

 **giant** : probably fucking each other’s brains out

 **t-dragon** : JOHNNY

**[puppy has removed giant from the chat]**

**fullsun** : this is why he’s on the nightmare side

 **child** : fr

 **tail** : i don’t know what’s so bad about it??? like chenle and jisung are literally seniors in college who are we protecting

 **t-dragon** : they may be seniors but do not be fooled they are still babie

 **child** : please never say that again taeyong

 **t-dragon** : that’s hyung to you

 **child** : i am literally chinese??? and we have never used honorifics before???

 **t-dragon** : i am your manager and therefore can implement any rules i want

 **child** : admin please

**[puppy has muted t-dragon for one minute]**

**child** : LMAO

 **puppy** : i still hold legal ownership hehe suck a peepee taeyong

 **tail** : he said okay and then went to johnny’s room

 **fullsun** : OH MY GOD

 **child** : premarital physical contact

**jungwoo’s children**  
Today, 22:22

**[master is online]**

**master** : **@traitor**

**[traitor is online]**

**traitor** : what do you want with me i was about to get a good dicking down

 **master** : disgusting  
**master** : did hyuck tell you yet

 **traitor** : the last thing hyuck told me was to bother my lovely sexy beautiful fiancé instead of him

 **master** : he finally met a cute guy and is going to meet him again on saturday

 **traitor** : are you fuckin gkidding me **@disciple #1** why don’t you tell me anything this is so sad alexa play us again by seventeen

**[disciple #1 is online]**

**disciple #1** : can’t yall just let me fuckin sleep 

**traitor** : it’s 10 don’t start with me  
**traitor** : i want pictures this instant young man

 **disciple #1** : _sent an image  
_

**traitor** : BITCH THAT’S MY FUCKING KID ROOMMATE

 **disciple #1** : WHAT

 **master** : LMAOO

 **traitor** : this is so crazy  
**traitor** : are you the reason that he ignored me last night????????? 

**disciple #1** : i would like to think so but idk?????

 **traitor** : omg it’s a small fucking world 

**master** : you should come with him to our place dude

 **traitor** : bet i’ll bring the other guys too

 **disciple #1** : my work here is done i am going back to sleep

 **master** : hoe you’re sleeping this early?

**[disciple #1 is offline]**

**master** : rude

 **traitor** : kids nowadays

 **master** : fr

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So 1. I kinda hate myself for updating this instead of Klare Leu, I really hope those readers can forgive me :// Anyways! The only reason I got this and the last chapters out so quickly was because they were mostly texting, but starting next chapter, it'll take a while since it's like, actual paragraphs and stuff,,, sorry in advance
> 
> 2\. The cockroach thing in Lee's locker room actually happened to me. It was so disgusting I wanted to cry. And I stand by the assumption that they paid the refs. There's no other way they would've won. The thing with Hongjoong didn't happen though (not to my knowledge I wouldn't hold them above that tho)
> 
> 3\. I don't condone pouring water all over a playing court but if you do just make sure you don't get caught ;)
> 
> 4\. Stream Left and Right~


	4. saturday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Saturday and its events.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yall I know I said I would take longer to update but I word vomited and gave up on this so here ya go it's probably shitty but please accept my offering

One day has never passed by so slowly for Donghyuck. He could swear that the first two decades of his life went faster than Friday had. Despite that, he didn’t even know why he was so excited for Saturday. All that would happen was Donghyuck would tell Mark a drink to try, maybe Ten and his coworkers would make noise, but nothing important would happen. He would be lucky to even have a whole conversation with the other boy. 

It was 7:30 in the morning when Donghyuck got to the café, yawning and waving to Taeyong, who offered the younger a cup of coffee that had most likely come from the break room. Donghyuck took it gratefully and chugged the entire thing in one go. He was able to figure out by the perfect sweetness that Doyoung had made it. Somehow, the black haired man had always known Donghyuck’s preferred level of everything. It was nice, but he had to wonder how Doyoung knew him so well despite them knowing each other for six years. Even Renjun didn’t know him like that.

“Jaehyun said that he’s going to come around twelve, just FYI.” Taeyong said as Donghyuck chucked the now empty cup into the trash. 

“Jaehyun?” Donghyuck asked quizzically, to which Taeyong nodded in affirmation. Jaehyun was a little, um, embarrassing. He wasn’t as bad as Donghyuck’s mom or literally any other Asian parent on earth, but he was a close second. Donghyuck had been hoping that Jaehyun, as well as Renjun, Jeno, Jaemin, and Jungwoo, didn’t come and make him look like a fool in front of Mark. 

_It’s not a date, it’s not date, it’s not a date, stop being so fucking nervous,_ Donghyuck yelled at himself to stop stressing out over a visit that might last maybe five minutes at the most. His best friends had hyped it up to the point that Donghyuck almost let himself forget that he and Mark had never even had a proper conversation. He wanted to, but he hated talking to new people, because they always had those boundaries that were completely unknown to him unless he touched on it, and after that happened, the other person always lost the spark that had convinced Donghyuck to talk to them in the first place. 

The entire morning was just Donghyuck doing his job on autopilot as he tried to think of what other drinks Mark might like, as well as what could happen if Ten and Jungwoo caused a ruckus. Those two, while they were older and thus ‘all-knowing’ (their words, not Donghyuck’s), were a bit of a mess and the biggest thorns in Taeyong’s side aside from Donghyuck and Doyoung. Donghyuck had met Ten’s fiancé, Kun, a few times, and each time, he felt worse for the elder man, having to deal and take care of the lunatic that was Ten. Memories of Donghyuck’s freshman year in college came flooding back, and he couldn’t help but notice now that the craziest things he had done were all courtesy of college senior Ten. 

At one point, Donghyuck had gotten so out of it, worrying for what Ten and Jungwoo would do and how he would interact with Mark, that an elderly woman, a regular at the café and everyone’s favorite customer, reached into her purse and pulled out a grape flavored lollipop. ‘For you. Cheer up!’ she had said, and that had snapped Donghyuck back into work mode quicker than Jeno running to a stray cat. _That’s right. It’s not a date. Why should I worry about whether I get embarrassed in front of Mark when I might not even see him again?_

‘Because he’s cute as fuck and you like him’ the other side of his mind supplied helpfully, and Donghyuck wanted to slam his head into the counter. He didn’t like Mark. Well, he liked Mark’s visuals. But he didn’t know Mark nearly enough to like him. 

Donghyuck guessed that his head had twitched in the direction of the counter, because Jisung was nudging the elder softly as he put down a drink and called out the owner’s name. “You good, Donghyuck? It looked like you wanted to give yourself a concussion. That’s probably not good for business.” 

“I’m fine. Just thinking stupid stuff.” Donghyuck replied, moving out of the way for Chenle to serve the next order. He really had to focus. He was getting paid to work, not to worry about romance. 

“Is it about that guy you were talking about on the group chat? Mark?” Chenle asked after he wished the customer a good day with an award-winning smile, his eyes scrunching up.

“I will neither deny nor confirm that statement without a lawyer present.” Donghyuck walked closer to the pastry case, where Doyoung was putting a red bean bun into a plastic cover and then into a small bag. He passed it over to Donghyuck, who put in a coffee cup, called out the name, and handed it to the waiting customer. 

“Interesting.” Chenle and Jisung said in unison, smirks spread across both of their faces. 

“You two are so in sync that it terrifies me. Are you sure that neither of you have telepathy?” Doyoung watched the two college seniors curiously. Even though the pair nodded to deny Doyoung’s claim, they did so at the exact same moment and with the exact same energy that Donghyuck couldn’t really bring himself to believe what they were saying. 

“Changing the subject, Doyoung, did you know that Ten is coming to visit later with Mark? And that he’s bringing some of his friends from The Vision?” Chenle asked the older male, who shook his head as he turned back to the pastry case. 

“I haven’t had a conversation with Ten in a while. I talk to Kun, but Ten’s sleeping schedule is so wild I can never talk to him in real time.” Doyoung replied. 

“Well, they are. None of you guys have met the other staff, right?” When Jisung, Donghyuck, and Doyoung shook their heads, Chenle grinned. “They’re crazy. You guys are gonna love them.” Chenle said with pure confidence. 

“Crazy how?” Jisung asked skeptically. 

“Worse than Donghyuck crazy.”

“Hey! I take personal offense to that.” Donghyuck chastised from next to Doyoung as he bagged the next order, one of Renjun’s now famous strawberry-cream filled pastries. 

“All of them are like that?” Doyoung’s face was a grimace now, probably dreading having to deal with multiple Donghyuck’s (Donghyuck himself didn’t think he was that bad, but if everyone else thinks so, then he must be horrible, right?). 

“Hm… out of the eight that I’ve met, six are pretty wild, the only exceptions being Kun and Sicheng.” Chenle replied. “I also heard that you used to know one of them, Doyoung. A dude named Yuta, looks like a rockstar but a prince at the same time. Kun said that you guys all used to be tight in high school.” 

“Oh, yeah, Yuta. The realest g there is. He’s coming today? Do Taeyong and Taeil know?” Doyoung asked, preoccupied with keeping up with the orders. 

“Nah, you’re the first one outside of the Jungwoo’s children group chat to know. I just figured I’d tell you since Kun said you, Ten, Yuta, and Taeyong were the iconic four in your grade.” Chenle said just as Jaehyun came into the café, a black and purple bag slung over his shoulder. He walked behind the counter, greeting everyone with a smile and Doyoung with a small peck on the cheek (it was really quick because everyone knows NOVA wouldn't accept gay people giving them food) before going to the break room to bother Taeyong. 

Donghyuck almost groaned out loud around his lollipop, realizing that it was almost noon and that he would have to face Mark. He didn't even know if he was mentally prepared for it yet. Would he ever be ready for it?

As if reading his thoughts, Taeil clapped a hand on Donghyuck's shoulder. “You'll be okay. You don't need to worry. Have you thought of what to recommend to him when he comes?” 

When Donghyuck shook his head, Taeil smiled gently. “That's okay too. Just go with the flow. It'll be okay.”

“You sound so wise.” Doyoung noted as he served the last customer who was in the line. 

“It's cause he's so old. Of course he knows a few things.” Jisung piped up, only to be met by a playful glare from Taeil.

“I'm only 26, Jisung.” Taeil shot back.

“You're almost 30! That's old! _And_ you're still single! I thought you pulled!” Chenle said. 

“I still have a while until 30! And why does it matter if I'm single?” 

“You should get a sugar daddy. Or mommy. You have the ass and visuals for it.” Donghyuck said under his breath. He immediately shot out of Taeil’s reach, making it impossible for the older male to strangle him. 

“Yeah! Make an Onlyfans and get that bread!” Chenle laughed.

Taeil’s face, while not completely red, was a lighter shade of pink now. “I'm _not_ going to make an Onlyfans!” He hissed.”Don't just say that out loud in public!” Chenle apologized, only he didn't look very sorry. 

“But if Taeil becomes successful on Onlyfans, then he won't have to work here. That would kinda suck.” Doyoung said. 

“Aw, Dongyoungie, I didn't know you cared so much—”

“Nevermind, I take it back. Bye, Taeil.” Doyoung instantly retracted his statement at Taeil’s cooing. 

“Damn, I see how it is. I give up two months of my life working here only to be tossed out like this.” The brunet let out a disappointed sigh. 

As Taeil sighed, Taeyong and Jaehyun finally came out of the back, and Taeil turned to their manager. “Yongie, they're harassing me.”

“Deserve.” Jaehyun said it so quickly that it seemed like he did it on instinct, earning the stink eye from the eldest. 

“Now, children, let's all be civil and not bully each other. Also, I just got a text from Yuta. Him and his coworkers and Mark will be here any minute now.” Donghyuck pumped his fist internally out of happiness. Mark would be coming, and Renjun, Jaemin, Jeno, Johnny, and Jungwoo weren't here. _This might actually sort of go well,_ Donghyuck thought. 

“Thank god there's no lunch rush.” Jaehyun said as he stepped out from behind the counter. 

“You can say that again.” Jisung clicked his tongue as he propped his elbow on the counter. “Although it's a little weird, isn't it? It usually gets decently crowded around this time.”

“Don't look a gift horse in the mouth.” Chenle lay across Jisung back. 

“But don't forget that those people who come in at lunch time pay your bills.” Taeyong said dryly, and Doyoung hit the shorter’s back.

“It would be tolerable if middle aged women knew how to behave themselves and if we didn't have girls throwing themselves at poor Jisung and Taeil, but that's not the case, so we can complain all we want.” Doyoung said.

“Whatever.” Taeyong sighed in defeat as the café door opened, and in came a group of nine. One that was already too familiar for Donghyuck.

“Taeyongie! Oh my God! And Doyoungie too!” A man with long red hair and a bright smile came bounding up the counter, pulling the two into a hug as Donghyuck racked his brain for who this was. _Oh, Yuta,_ Donghyuck remembered. 

“Long time no see, Yuta. Nice to see the rest of you guys too.” Taeyong patted Yuta’s back and smiled amicably at the rest of the group. 

They all immediately split into their own groups— Taeyong, Doyoung, Yuta, Ten, Kun, and Taeil and Chenle, Jisung, Yukhei, and three other boys that Donghyuck didn't know, leaving him with Mark. 

They made eye contact over the counter awkwardly, and Donghyuck took it upon himself to make the first move. “Welcome back. How’ve you been? I hope that Ten hasn't made any trouble for you in the past few days. Cause he would _never cause problems for anyone, right?_ ” Donghyuck purposely raised his voice at the last part so Ten could hear. The older male stuck his tongue out childishly before turning back to his own conversation. 

“I’ve been excited, to say the least. And Ten caused a little trouble, but I've gotten used to it by now. What about you? We never really talked through text since I was busy, but I have all the time in the world now.” Mark smiled, and Donghyuck really thought that his heart stopped. He was pretty sure that if angels existed, this is what they would look like. 

Mark's smile wasn't forced, it wasn't only there to be polite. Donghyuck could tell, in the way that his nose scrunched up, in the way that his eye bags became slightly more prominent, in the way that his eyes sparkled like they were reflecting the light of a diamond, that Mark was genuinely smiling. At him. 

“Yeah. Thanks. How does a strawberry black tea sound?” Donghyuck managed to come up with something on the spot, trying to keep in mind Mark’s dislike for green tea. 

“Perfect.” Mark replied, the same look in his eyes that Renjun used with Jaemin and Jeno. _Or am I being too hopeful? There's no way he'd look at me like that after one meeting._

“Boba?” Mark nodded. “Great. It'll be on me today, so if you want to go find a seat, I'll come bring it to you.” 

“Thank you, Donghyuck.” Mark grinned now, showing all of his teeth and the most adorable nose scrunch Donghyuck had ever seen in his life (not including Chenle and Jisung's, but they were babies so it was only natural).

“It's no problem.” Donghyuck returned the smile before Mark left the counter to find a place to sit. Donghyuck turned to make the tea, blatantly ignoring the stares of Jisung, Chenle, and their group. 

“Oh, dude, they were flirting. Right in front of our salads.” One of them whispered with no intent of actually being quiet. Donghyuck couldn't make himself actually care, though. So what if they were? It wasn't really anyone's business. 

Donghyuck moved through the kitchen in a daze, the steps to make the drink coming naturally from muscle memory. Within not even five minutes of their meeting again, Mark had already genuinely smiled at him, genuinely grinned at him, called him by his name, and looked at him like he had hung all the stars in the sky. He was on top of the world. No. He was even higher. He had transcended heaven and its angels and gods and was in a place where it was only him and Mark. Amazing how he could feel this way when they hadn't even talked properly yet. 

Within no time, Donghyuck was bringing Mark’s strawberry tea to a table that was right next to the window, the noon sun perfectly illuminating Mark’s features. There was a dream-like glow surrounding the other boy, like the halo of an angel surrounding his entire body. Maybe Jaemin had been right, and there was a god. All that stuff about heaven seemed so real when there was living proof sitting in front of Donghyuck that angels existed. 

“It's good.” Donghyuck didn't realize that he was staring until Mark spoke, snapping him out of his trance. Mark didn’t seem bothered though, continuing to suck up the black pearls that sat at the bottom of the cup.

“I’m glad you like it.” Donghyuck said, and they fell into a silence for a few moments before Mark was speaking again.

“So, you never answered my question. How have you been since last I saw you? You told me that you found out that your best friends were dating. But what else is new?” Mark asked. 

“Nothing really. Everything other than that is the same as always.” Donghyuck replied.

“And what's the same as always?” 

“Wake up, go to work, stay at work even if my shift is done, come home, eat dinner, shower, sleep. Although I guess there's a long period of time between shower and sleep when I'm on my phone.” Donghyuck admitted the last part with a small chuckle. 

“Wow, our daily routines are practically identical, huh?” Mark laughed.

“People who don't do the same thing everyday, I kind of feel bad for them. I'm pretty sure I've only managed this far because I don't have to think about anything.” Donghyuck said, and Mark nodded in agreement. 

“I still wake up at 7 in the morning cause of all my years of school. It’s pretty convenient though.” 

“How many years has it been since you graduated?” 

“Oh god, I feel old thinking about it. It's been about a year? I'm the same age as Yukhei, if that helps.” Mark said, and Donghyuck nodded. “What about you?”

“I just graduated in June.” 

Mark’s eyes widened. “Ten told me that you were the one who opened this place. That’s really good, especially for someone who _just_ graduated.” 

“Thanks, but it wasn’t my idea. It was my friend’s, who… oh, god.” Donghyuck averted his gaze from the front door, where the very people he had been hoping wouldn’t show up stood. Renjun, Jeno, and Jaemin all instantly whipped their heads in Donghyuck’s direction, and Donghyuck felt his stomach sink. _Oh, God, if you’re out there somewhere, please save me_. 

They started walking over, eventually stopping in front of the booth where Mark and Donghyuck were sitting. Mark eyed them nervously while Donghyuck bit his tongue. _You know what, man? Fuck you._

“You must be Mark! I’m Jaemin!” Jaemin’s smile was all but innocent, and Mark hesitated to shake the hand that was being held out to him from both Jaemin and Renjun. 

“Stop that.” Jeno hit the back of Jaemin’s head and faced Mark with an apologetic look, but Donghyuck knew better. The hazel haired boy always had some ulterior motive. “Sorry about them, I’m Jeno, one of Donghyuck’s best friends. Thank you for the congratulations the other day.” 

“No problem. It’s nice to meet you, Jeno.” Mark bowed his head by just a fraction. But he was quickly looking back up at Jeno again. “Wait, Lee Jeno? From middle school?”

“That’s me. Welcome back to the US.” Jeno said with a smile, but Donghyuck still couldn’t find himself letting down his guard. Jeno always wanted something. 

“It’s good to be back. I didn’t think I’d be able to meet up with you again, if I’m being honest.” At this point, Donghyuck scooted farther into the booth to make room for Jaemin and Renjun, and Mark did the same on his side for Jeno. The three took a seat, and the conversation resumed. 

“I’m Renjun, by the way, Donghyuck’s one and only best friend, no matter what these two say.” Renjun cast a fake glare at his boyfriends, and Jeno just replied with an eye roll while Jaemin mumbled ‘right, right’ as he patted the smaller’s head. 

“You’re the one who wrote his number, right?” When Renjun nodded, Mark continued. “Thank you for that.” 

“It was my pleasure.” Renjun dramatically bowed to the best of his ability in the seat before Ten interrupted them. 

“Stop bothering them!” Ten shouted from his seat at the counter, and although Renjun and Jaemin looked a little reluctant to leave, Jeno was pulling them out of the booth in no time. 

“Sorry to take up your time. Mark, let’s catch up another time, okay?” Jeno said, and Mark nodded, saying ‘another time’. 

“I kind of forgot what we were talking about.” Mark rubbed his neck sheepishly as he turned to Donghyuck, and although Donghyuck did remember what they were talking about, he decided not to say anything. That branch of conversation wouldn’t have ended up anywhere. 

“Me too. But I guess we can just talk about something else. Jeno said welcome back to the US?” Donghyuck more than remembered Jeno saying that Mark went to Canada, but it was better to act as if he found out from Mark. 

“Yeah, I moved to Canada at the end of seventh grade for my dad’s job. I moved in with Kun and Ten a few months ago though. Missed it here too much to stay in Canada.” Mark explained. 

“What was Canada like?” 

“Cold.” Donghyuck let out a small laugh at that. “It was okay, though. It was less stifling than here, in a way. At the very least, they were more lax on smoking and stuff like that.”

“What was your favorite part of it?” Donghyuck asked, leaning back against the chair and folding his hands neatly in his lap. 

“I’d have to say…” He glanced out the window for a few seconds before looking back at Donghyuck, staring straight into his eyes. A mix of emotions that Donghyuck didn’t understand swirled beyond the other boy’s irises, the sunlight making them look like deep pools of honey that Donghyuck couldn’t resist falling into. “the best part was coming back here.”

Something in Mark’s voice made Donghyuck’s shoulders drop and he struggled to keep his heart steady, which had just sped up instantly to what felt like 200 bpm. He was pretty sure his eyes had bulged out for a second, but he earnestly tried to keep his composure. He wasn’t sure what it was, but it had felt like Mark was implying he was grateful that he came here only because they had met. Maybe it was just wishful thinking. Maybe it was just Donghyuck’s starvation of romance despite being a hopeless romantic. He hoped it wasn’t. 

“I hope I’ve contributed to that somehow.” Donghyuck stammered, somehow unable to keep eye contact with Mark any longer. Instead, he just stared between the elder’s eyebrows to keep up the illusion that he wasn’t about to die. 

“You have. Don’t worry.” Mark replied smoothly, as if nothing had happened. How did he manage to make Donghyuck this flustered? Jungwoo might not be there, but Ten, Jaemin, and Chenle were, and they were sure to report this to the Jungwoo’s children group chat. Donghyuck had to get himself in order or risk being scolded by the elder. 

“That’s good.” The booth was covered in silence for another minute as Donghyuck desperately tried to calm his racing heart and organize his thoughts. 

“I’m sorry, did I go a little too far?” Mark seemed to notice Donghyuck’s sudden awkwardness. 

“N-No! You’re fine. I’ve just… I’ve never had someone say something with that implication to me before.” Donghyuck replied. _Get it together. You’re making him fucking worry._

“I’m glad I’m the first. Sorry if I made you uncomfortable or anything, though. I can stop if you want? We can go back to our conversation from before.” Mark offered, but Donghyuck shook his head. 

“Just a little surprised. It’s okay. I,” Donghyuck took a final deep breath to calm himself. “I liked it. A lot. Thank you for that. I was a little worried how well today would go, with Ten and his coworkers coming along and with my friends who love to embarrass me, but I feel like I can relax here. Talking with you. Thank you.” 

“It’s the same for me. I’m usually really awkward, but with you, it’s like talking to someone I’ve known for all my life. I’m glad I met you, Donghyuck. Since I was in Canada for so long, I was worried as to whether I could make friends here. Even though I haven’t even had a full conversation with you, it’s been the best few minutes of my life so far.” Mark’s eyes scrunched up thanks to his smile that reached the ends of his face, and now, instead of racing, Donghyuck’s heart melted into a gushy, romance filled mess in his chest. 

“You’re kinda disgusting, you know that?” Donghyuck joked, to which Mark laughed. 

“Not more than you.” He retorted, happiness drenching his face as he took another sip of his strawberry tea. 

“Right. Whatever you say.” Donghyuck rolled his eyes, but he really was ecstatic. They had just met, and they weren’t exactly being slow, but he had a feeling that everything would be okay. 

“Why don’t we do this again? But next time, I’ll take you to The Vision. I’ll pay.” Mark offered all of a sudden, and Donghyuck stared at the elder boy, face black, before breaking out into an even wider smile than he thought was possible. 

“That’d be perfect.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really said fuck it and finished the entire thing in only four chapters. Perhaps I'm lazy or... nah there's no other option. I just thought it was a good place to leave off. Sorry if you guys wanted to see the a c t u a l relationship but dude 1. I'm so bad at romance just writing this made me want to die from how bad it was  
> And 2. Yall I'm so fucking tired I can't deal with COMMITMENT
> 
> ANyways thanks for all the support! I never thought that I would get this much attention from something that never meant to be updated. Thank you to all those who left kudos and commented, and a huge thank you to my silent readers as well! Stay safe, and stay healthy!!

**Author's Note:**

> This is just a side project. This is also my first time writing something like this, so please leave a comment!
> 
> Find me on Twitter : aestia5


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